Conveyer-chain for potato-planters.



I AQUILLA DUB-NSING.

GONVBYER CHAIN FOR POTATO PLANTBRS.

' APPLIOATIO N FILED JUNE 16, 1906.

m5 NORRIS PETERS cow, wAsulxm-ow, n.

PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AQUILLA DUENSING, or ALTOONA, IOWA, AssIeNoR or ONE-HALF TO 0. o. LANG, or ALTOONA, IOWA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1 907.

Application filed June 16.1906. Serial No. 322,324.

To all whom it may concern:

will be scraped from them. The arm 18 is Be it known that I, AQUILLA DuENsING, provided with an extension 21 projecting bea citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Folk and State of Iowa, have1invented a certain new and useful Conveyer-Chain for Potato-Planters, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a conveyor chain of sim le, durable and inexpensive construction esigned during its upward movement to engage a single potato or other soft article and to carry it upwardly to an elevated point of discharge and to automatically remove the potato and force it away from the conveyor chain.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination with a sprocket chain of the potato engaging points and the automatic potato removing arm, whereby the objects contem lated are attained, as hereinafter more ful y set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a sprocket wheel, a portion of the conveyor chain traveling over the sprocket wheeland a number of potato engaging arms thereon and a section of a hopper of a discharge chute and also the means for actuating the device for removing potatoes from the conveyor Fig. 2 shows a detail, perspective view of a portion of a conveyor cham em-.

bodying my invention, and Fig. 3 shows a detail view, partly in section, illustrating the means for detachably connecting the sharpened tines with the conveyor plates.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate a sprocket wheel, 11 to indicate a portion of a hopper and 12 to indicate a portion of a discharge chute.

The conveyor is composed of a sprocket chain 13 of ordinary construction. Connected with some links of said s rocket chain are the plates 14 fixed to said inks and extended at right angles thereto. Near the outer end of each plate are two screw threaded openings and in each opening is secured a pointed tine 15 having a screw threaded end 1 6. These tines stand at right angles to plates 14.

Pivoted to the link of the chain adjacent to each plate 14 is a tine scraper comprising parallel arms 17 and 18 and a cross piece 19 having an extension 20. This extension is so arranged that, when the arms 17 and 18 swing on their pivots, any article on the tines yond the link to which it is pivoted, in a direction away from the plate 14. Mounted adjacent to the top portion of the sprocket wheel 10 is a stationary arm 22 in the path of l the extensions 21 of the arms 18.

In practical use and assuming the parts to be arranged, as shown in Fig. 1, the chain and its attachments is made to move by the sprocket wheel 10 in a direction causing it to move upwardly through the hopper 11. When in this position, the scraper will stand above the plate 14, thus leaving the tines free to be inserted in a potato, or other article in the hopper. Obviously only one potato at a time can be engaged because when the 'tines have engaged a single potato, the potato itself will prevent the tines from entering other potatoes. The tines will then carry the potato u wardly until the stationary arm 22 is reaclied, then the extension 21 will strike said arm and cause the scraper to move away from the blade, thus positively forcing the potato from the tines. This will also tend to throw the potato forwardly and away from the sprocket wheel and into the I chute. Then as the plate 14 moves downwardly in the chute 12, it will hang by gravity to the position shown to the left in Fig. 1, but when rounding the turn, the scraper will again assume the position by the action of gravity resting on top of the plate 14. By having the tines made detachable they may be easily and quickly removed to be sharpened or if one is broken, another may be quickly and easily substituted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, therefor is In a device of the class described, the combination of a sprocket chain, a plate fixed thereto and extended at right angles, two tines connected with the plate, a scraper pivoted to the chain in advance of the plate, the outer end of the scraper normally resting on top of the plate as the chain is moving upwardly and extended between said tines, an extension on the scraper projecting beyond the chain in a direction opposite from the plate and a stationary arm arranged in the path of travel of said extension.

AQUILLA DUEN SIN G. Witnesses O. O. LANG, D. O. BISHARD. 

